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From: megatek!hollen@UCSD.EDU (Dion Hollenbeck)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Target/Benchrest questions - Bedding/Floating barrel, etc.
Message-ID: <35512@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 12 Jun 91 16:20:26 GMT
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In article <35425@mimsy.umd.edu> cscc1f@menudo.uh.edu (Gregory W. Hayes) writes:
# Glass bedding the stock versus making a floating barrel rifle.  This
# is still really in the planning stages so I'm trying to work out
# everything before I spend money unecessarily or do some irrepairable
# cutting on the stock.  My primary concern is accuracy, but since I'm
# doing this myself, ease also plays a big part.  From my limited
# knowledge of rifles with floating barrels, I know that the barrels do
# not touch the stock at any point.  Does the mounting point of the action
# need any special attention to take the added forces of the floating
# barrel?  Does the action need to be bedded too?

Yes, when you free float a barrel, you should definately bed the
action.  The only connection you will have is between the action
and the stock, so it is really necesary that this be really sturdy
and as immovable as possible.

# I would also like some input what the most prevalent caliber is and any
# advice on what the best twist is for that caliber.  Right now I'm
# looking at .22-250, .25-06, .264 Win mag, 7mm Rem mag, .308, .30-06,
# .300 Win mag, and .220 Swift.  I should also put that the range I shoot
# at has a 500 yard section and that is my ultimate goal.

If you are talking about REAL accuracy, the 6mm PPC is the hot caliber
in all the national and international benchrest competition at this
time.  Years ago it was the .17 Remington.  The drawbacks for the
6mm PPC is that brass typically will be 3 to 4 times as expensive
as other calibers.  You could build your own, but it would take
several forming dies and LOTS of work.  Any of the stages if not
done with enough care could introduce inaccuracies which would 
defeat your purpose.  The shortcomings of the .17 is that no one
makes a neck sizing die.  If you're going for accuracy, you 
certainly don't want to be full length re-sizing, merely neck
sizing.  The 6mm is undoubtedly more accurate that the .17 by
virtue of the results in competition, but the .17 at 4400fps is
AWESOME!!  Also, the .17 can tend to have more fouling problems.
Another disadvantage for the 6mm is that by the time you get
a barrel, action, and stock, you are looking at probably $1500
as a bare minimum and this does not count the gunsmithing to put
it together.

I realize that I have not addressed any of the calibers you have
mentioned, but you said ACCURACY.  If your idea of accuracy is
not the same as mine ( a 5 shot group center-to-center measurement
of .010" ) then all I said is irrelevant.  If you merely want
to be able to get in the 10 ring, then the calibers you mentioned
probably would be fine, and you merely need to be sure of a LOT
of details which make any caliber as accurate as it can be.

Look for my postings in the future about accuracy gunsmithing and
relaoding in relation to benchrest shooting.  I intend to post
this stuff, but I need several hours to sit down and organize it
and type it in and my employer is paying me to write software
not educate people on guns.




--
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	Dion Hollenbeck             (619) 455-5590 x2814
	Megatek Corporation, 9645 Scranton Road, San Diego, CA  92121
        uunet!megatek!hollen       or  hollen@megatek.uucp